However you dress this up what you are proposing is still trophy hunting. If admiring the beauty of something means you have to kill it in order to “possess” it’s beauty then that is a very sad concept. The modern way ‘if you will’ is to capture the beauty of a butterfly with a photograph, modern di...

Absolutely cracking images Rex and whilst the Blackstreak is a stunner that Meadow Brown just goes above and beyond :shock: - amazing 8) :mrgreen: :mrgreen: Have a goodun Wurzel Thank you Wurzel :D the Meadow Brown in question has to be the most well behaved one I’ve ever seen! In all my years of t...

Some stunning images in your look backs to spring James. Hard to pick any favourites but the Grizzled Skipper trio and Wall Browns stand out for me :D Great stuff, Neil. Many thanks Neil, very kind of you :D I believe it’s the only time I’ve ever seen three Grizzled Skippers together in that way. Y...

My, that is a very striking looking male Wall! Great images as always James :) Thanks Paul, it’s great to see you’ve had a really good year, I don’t have much time to comment on PD’s these days but I’ve been following and enjoying your diary. Nice Wall Brown specimen, James. Hopefully a third brood...

Spring 2018 part 3

Thanks for looking,

James

That Wall shot is brilliantly composed James :D :mrgreen: :mrgreen: Great set of Greenstreaks too - interesting to see the regional variation - over this way they generally come with a multitude of spots :D Have a goodun Wurzel Thanks Wurzel, we do get the occasional ‘punctata’ locally but they are...

millerd wrote:I really like the pair of Walls, James, and the almost totally green Hairstreak! Just that one tiny white spot...

Cheers,

Dave

Cheers Dave, I think the single white spotted Green Hairstreaks are standard issue in these parts. All three single spotters shown above are different butterflies.

Many thanks guys, I really appreciate your kind comments. The trio of Grizzled Skippers was a very tricky shot, it took many attempts to get all three in focus!

Spring 2018 part 2

Thanks for looking

James

Spring 2018 Part 1

A few of my highlights from this year.

Thanks for looking.

Hi Hoggers,

It looks like it might be a Millipede from the Family Polydesmidae.

Have at the list here: http://www.bmig.org.uk/page/millipede-checklist

As I was in the area I popped into Abbots Wood this morning to see how the Pearl-bordered Fritillaries were doing. Numbers are still very low so I would advise anyone looking to go there to wait until numbers have built up to avoid trampling sensitive areas.

Jamie Burston wrote:Stunning photos in the May forum page you posted, the Green Hairstreak shots were obviously appealing to me!

Very kind of you Jamie, I know we’re both big Hairstreak fans - but then again who isn’t!?

Great work Jamie, I don’t suppose many people have observed these three in the wild. Nice photos too, tiny caterpillars are not easy to photograph!

James

David M wrote:Back with a bang eh, Rex?

That's a tidy haul for the first week in May. Love your Wall Brown pair, a species that I hope to reacquaint myself with within the next few days.

Thanks David.

Some of my sightings from May 2018 thus far. 4th May 1.GHS May 04.jpg 3.GHS May 04.jpg Peacock egg laying. Peacock laying May 04.jpg The result Peacock eggs May 04.jpg Unusual double eye spot Wall Brown. Wall Brown May 04.jpg Mating pair Wall Browns. Wall Brown pair May 04.jpg 5th May 2.GHS May 05.j...

After much deliberation I have reluctantly decided to sell my Canon EF100mm f/2.8 L MACRO IS USM lens. Before I put it on eBay I want to give my fellow butterflyers first chance. If there's no interest here after a week it's off to the bay I go... FINAL UPDATE This listing has ended. Thanks for look...

FOR SALE: After much deliberation I have reluctantly decided to sell my Canon EF100mm f/2.8 L MACRO IS USM lens. Before I put it on eBay I want to give my fellow butterflyers first chance. If there's no interest here after a week it's off to the bay I go... It comes in it's original box with manual,...

http://www.hantsiow-butterflies.org.uk/downloads/Disease%20resistant%20elm%20cultivars%20BC%20trials%206th%20report%202016.pdf It's great to see such an interest in this topic - a few here and there will go a long way to helping the White-letter Hairstreak. BWs, Neil Thanks for posting this Neil, I...

Great stuff Gary, I expect they are getting through violets a at tremendous rate!

ATB

James

I will post a detailed description about the disease-resistant elm cultivars Ulmus minor 'Ademuz' and Ulmus 'Nanguen' LUTECE in my personal diary, in early March. I don't want this conversation to take away from the outstanding work and dedication that James has shown, a truly inspirational story a...